AUTOPIA?

AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MAKES THE GR COROLLA FASTER AND MORE ACCESSIBLE

- WORDS WILLIAM IRVIN LEWIS PHOTOGRAPHY JIM FETS

Swapping a stick shift for shift paddles doesn’t ruin the Toyota GR Corolla, the hot hatchback that initially only offered a manual transmission. If you aren’t used to slinging gears yourself, the GR Corolla's new-for-2025 automatic gearbox option makes the impressively comfortable and quick superhatch even more approachable, without disturbing much of its underlying greatness.

Still, for drivers proficient with three pedals, rev-matching downshifts, and fiddling around with a car's balance using engine braking, the GR auto will from time to time leave you feeling like you're missing out.

In terms of outright speed, you don't miss a thing by opting for the new eight-speed automatic. Dubbed DAT, for Direct Automatic Transmission, this is a torque-converter setup, not a dual-clutch unit more common among high-performance small cars these days. Toyota promises quick shifts and clever programming that responds more to driver behavior and inputs than vehicle sensors and cold calculations. It also includes launch control. Every 2025 GR Corolla—regardless of transmission—also benefits from tuning reserved previously for the top-dog Morizo Edition, meaning a 295-lb-ft peak torque figure (up 22 lb-ft) and the same 300 hp as before from the 1.6-liter turbocharged I-3.

Even so, don't expect a huge boost when leaving a stoplight. It pulls a genuinely quick 5.1-second rip to 60 mph, outrunning the stick-shift 2023 model we tested previously by 0.3 second. But achieving that number is a struggle. Fact is, the GR Corolla has too much grip to launch efficiently, requiring extreme finesse to get real performance out of it from a dead stop on dry pavement without bogging down; on the manual-equipped models, you can keep the revs just right more easily and feather the clutch for an ideal getaway.